It's Christmas season again, and I hear there will be a Santa run organized in Zagreb. Wouldn't it be even more fun to organize a competition between all Croatian Christmastide gift bringers? Every single one would have some strenghts and some weaknesses. Take Saint Lucy, for example. She would have some trouble running while carrying her eyes on a silver plate, right? And St Nicholas doesn't need to take care just of himself, he also has to drag his woolly pet Krampus in chains around. Oh, and kids, make some room for the Three Wise Men, if you don't want a black kiss on your cheek, they love to do that...

Northwest Croatia including Zagreb surroundings was marking Saint Lucy’s day in many interesting ways, so let’s start with her depiction. In the past, a woman dressed as Saint Lucy would go around the village, visiting each house. When I say dressed as Saint Lucy, I mean adornments, too. Indeed, she was carrying a plate with some animal’s eyeballs.